Edible Landscaping - Unique New Vegetable Varieties for 2011

By Charlie Nardozzi

All the holiday gifts are put away, the leftovers eaten, and the relatives gone. The festive time of the holidays is over, and now it's time for a good gardener to get to work planning for next year. One of the joys of vegetable gardening for me over the years has been trying new and unique varieties. After years of experience I have a long list of tried and true varieties that perform well for me. 'Maxibel' filet beans, 'Big Beef' tomato, and 'Red Noodle' asparagus bean are just a few of my favorites. But every year I make space for growing some new vegetables and varieties.

It's a fun process. I settle in with my seed catalogs and flip through them, looking for what's new. Then I check those varieties out on-line to find more information and spend some time surfing the net looking through on-line seed catalogs for their offerings.

Every gardener has different tastes and needs, so there are no right answers as to what to try. Some gardeners are looking for better disease resistance, while others are interested in different colors and shapes. Some gardeners just want organic seed or heirlooms. Beauty and uniqueness are traits I'm always on the lookout for. That being said, here are my top 28 vegetable varieties for 2011 based on my research. Sources for these varieties are listed after each and addresses are found in the Edible Resource Guide. Give some of these a try in your garden and see how they do and have a happy New Year!

Tomatoes

There are always so many new hybrid and rediscovered heirloom tomato varieties to choose from each year it can be mind boggling. Here are a few I particularly liked.

'Defiant' tomato features resistance to two common tomato diseases; early and late blight.

For a cool looking small cabbage with a unique pointy top, try 'Caraflex'.

'Black Icicle' – This Ukrainian variety has similarly shaped orange, yellow, and pink colored varietal sisters. The fruits are elongated, meaty, have few seeds, and a sweet taste. They're good for eating out of hand or making sauce. (Baker Creek)

'Blush' – How about a tomato that tastes like a pineapple? 'Blush' features elongated, 2- inch long, yellow with pink blushed fruits on indeterminate plants. (Seeds of Change)

'Toronjino' – This orange, hybrid cherry tomato has the flavor of 'Sun Gold' but with added late blight disease resistance. (High Mowing Seeds)

Beans, Greens and Herbs

I didn't list many of the new lettuces here because, quite frankly, there are so many varieties of various red, green, and yellow color combinations, it's hard to keep them all straight! There are a few unique bean varieties out there and, of course, some attractive basils. I threw in a cool cabbage and new broccoli/kale cross just for fun!

'Amethyst Improved' basil – A Genovese-type basil with deep purple leaves, this variety is an eye catcher in any edible or flower garden. (Johnny's Seeds)

'Apollo' brokali – A hybrid cross between a Calabrese broccoli and kale, this unusual variety has small green broccoli heads with tender stems and leaves. (Burpee, Territorial Seed). 'Purple Peacock' is a purple version. (Territorial Seed)

'Brightest Brilliant Rainbow' quinoa – This quinoa has beautiful fuchsia, burgundy, lime green, cream, orange, and yellow seed heads on 2-foot tall plants. You can eat the young, leafy greens raw in salads, steamed, or harvest the seeds for a grain. It's a beauty even if you don't eat it! (Territorial Seed)

'Multibond' lettuce – Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to mention many new lettuce varieties, but this loose leaf variety caught my eye for its extremely ruffled head and lime green leaves. (Harris Seeds)

If you like filet beans, try this purple colored version called 'Velour'.

'Black Futzu' winter squash – A Japanese heirloom variety that features 4- to 6-pound dark green with chestnut overtone-colored fruits that are also heavily warted. Bizarre to look at, but the orange flesh is delicious to eat. (High Mowing Seeds, Baker Creek)

'Red Zepplin' onion – A unique hybrid, long day, red onion that has a great spicy-sweet flavor and can be stored for up to 8 months. (Johnny's Seeds, Park Seed)

'Rich Sweetness 132' melon – A small, Russian, red-skinned with yellow streaks heirloom that has sweet white flesh. Great for a single serving. (Baker Creek)

'Salt and Pepper' cucumber – Pickling cucumbers are easy to grow and here's a unique white-skinned and fleshed one that also features powdery mildew resistance. Similar to 'Miniature White'. (Johnny's Seeds, Territorial Seed)

'Silver Edged' squash – This cool looking heirloom winter squash is grown for its silver seeds used in Latin American cooking. The pear-shaped fruits have white skin with green mottled stripes, making it attractive in the garden. (Seed Savers Exchange)

'Eagle' parsley root – Can't get enough of that parsley flavor from the parsley greens? Try growing parsley root. 'Eagle' is an heirloom variety that grows like a parsnip with roots that taste like parsley. Great for cooking. (High Mowing Seeds)

'Oasis' turnip – Most gardeners think of turnips as those mashed roots served at Thanksgiving. However, 'Oasis' is white colored, through and through, and has a sweet, juicy texture and flavor when eaten raw or shredded in salads. (Burpee, Nichols Garden Nursery, Thompson & Morgan Seeds)

Check out the Edible Resource Guide on the Edible Landscaping website for contact information of the companies listed that carry these new varieties.